True Colours
by STech
Summary: Hino could never really understand Yunoki. Ever since she first saw his darker personality, she could never be sure which was the real side of him.
1. Chapter 1

**I came up with the idea for this story when I watched episode 14 of the series for the second time. (This was where Yunoki had Hino play the part of his girlfriend to scare the other girl off). This chapter is sort of a rewrite of the conversation they have at the end of the episode. I still don't really understand the relationship between the two of them, so here's my take on it!**

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'oro or its characte**rs**.

* * *

"Bye Yunoki kun! See you tomorrow!" Hihara called.

"Yeah, sorry for intruding!" Tsuchiura said.

"Good night everyone," Yunoki said softly as the four classmates left his house. "Shouldn't you be getting home too?" He asked Hino in his naturally softened tone. She could never tell which side of him she was speaking to. Was it the kind, compassionate Yunoki that she had met the day she had been inducted into the competition, or was it the cold, nasty Yunoki that seemed to surface only when the two of them were alone. She was still unsure which was the real Yunoki, but she was tired of pondering it and was determined to find an answer.

"I want to talk to you first," Hino said, a hint of business detectable in her voice.

Yunoki smiled his usual false smile and lead her out the back door and into his magnificent, well lit backyard. The small walkway porch wound its way around a pond filled with lily pads and lights in and out of the water. The walkway eventually trailed off behind the pond and into the growth of trees that were hardly visible in the darkening hours of the evening. She remained in the doorway staring in awe at the sight before her.

He held out his hand to her as she began to climb down the steps onto the wooden planked walkway. She was still wearing the outfit he had picked out for her before they had arrived at his house consisting of a modest skirt and blouse, as well as a pair of fancy two and a half inch heels. Although she did have some practice in heels, she was clumsy, and stairs in and of themselves were never a good thing. Even though part of her felt that he might just pull her down the stairs into a full blown face plant, she took his hand and offered a thankful smile. She never knew when the _darker_ side of him would reappear. It was like she always had to keep her guard up.

"Your backyard is beautiful," she commented, walking beside him and staring out into the nearly darkened yard beyond the pond. The sun had just fallen behind the trees, but the silhouettes and shapes could still easily be made out in the lights scattered throughout the yard.

"Yes, my grandmother maintains it well," he commented, still smiling at her. Part of her wanted to slap him across the face, to rid his face of that fake smile, but then, how could she truly know that it wasn't genuine at times.

"Your grandmother, yes," she said, her voice trailing off into a stream of obvious thoughts. "How long have you lived with her? Where are your parents?" She had no idea how someone who was so kind to the world lived with someone… like that. She had only been in her presence for a few minutes, but she came across as strict and very old fashioned. Perhaps that had something to do with her grandson's double personality.

"Since I was eight. My parents work full time outside of the city." He said simply, not diving into any of the details, and clearly trying to avoid them.

"I see. Does that not bother you at all?" She asked strategically. She wanted him to open up. Perhaps if he did, she could come to a better understanding of him. She knew there was no chance of him really opening up around anyone else, but in talking to him in private, she ran the risk of his "meaner" side appearing and smacking her in the face. She fully expected either a pitiful answer that meant nothing, or a simple insult. To her surprise however, he was silent for a second, staring out into the yard.

"It's all I've ever really known. She's not much different than my mother. After all, she raised my mother as well. I was taught to keep a good social status and appearance and do well in school. I'm never to outshine my older brothers, and once I finish high school I'll go to college and work towards becoming an asset to my family's business. But why am I telling you this. Why would I share information such as this with someone like you?" He had that look on his face now. The fake compassion was undoubtedly gone.

Just as quickly as his sincerity had surfaced, it was gone again. But this flash of emotion displayed so much to her. That was it. He had lived his life being forced to show a positive image to the world. No one is _that_ perfect. He had been forced to cover up his flaws and anything his grandmother might have considered to be negative. It was no wonder that he had a whole other side to him that was… well… what it was. Rather than respond to his hurtful remark, she remained silent for a few seconds. She felt sorry for him. Although that was no reason for him to be nasty to her, she couldn't blame him.

Rather than pursue the subject, she decided to change it.

"I'm sorry, Yunoki senpai. After all the trouble you went through to make me seem like your girlfriend, I still spilled to her that I wasn't. But I don't understand, she seems like a nice girl. Why don't you like her?"

His expression turned slightly sour; well, as sour as his face could go. "I find her rather irritating," he says simply.

"That's not very nice," the girl commented. "But you did well, you didn't completely crush her hopes for the future. Maybe one day you will end up with her and you'll be happy after all," she said optimistically, forcing herself to smile encouragingly.

"I just bought myself time to come up with a better excuse. It will never happen between us," he said, immediately shooting down her comment.

She sighed a little, but decided to stay positive. "What are you looking for in a girl then?" She asked, quickly realized that she could easily be implying something that she had not meant to.

"Why? Are you interested?" He asked, laughing. She was now certain that his "darker" side was rearing its ugly head.

Her face grew red. She couldn't hold it in any longer. "N-no! Why would I be interested in someone that hides his true personality from the world and puts up a fake front? On top of that, you're just plain… nasty to me," she said, suddenly regretting her harsh words. Then again, he had never hesitated when saying things much more rash to her.

"I was only joking," he said, smiling again, "no need to get upset."

How could she ever tell if he was hurt by her words? He had clearly spent the last eighteen years learning to hide his true feelings no matter what they may have been. She was almost afraid now to hurt him. Now that she felt she was starting to understand him, she wanted to run out of there as fast as she could and put as much distance between them as possible. Nothing good could come from being with him right now. But now that she was here, she had to keep talking.

"Yunoki senpai, why is it only me that you treat like this?" She asks sincerely.

"Because it doesn't matter how I treat you, Kahoko," He said arrogantly. To take it even further, he had made it personal by using her real name.

"I'm serious! You don't open up to anyone else, yet you choose me to show yourself to. There has to be a reason!" She was getting upset. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be simply because he didn't like her to the point where he felt he could be nasty to her and it wouldn't matter.

"Nope, that's all there is to it. Like I said before, I can play with you the way I wish and as long as you're around me there's nothing you can do about it. No one would believe you if you told them." He wasn't even making eye contact with her now.

She was at her wits end. Could someone really be that heartless? Then again after being raised by that heartless old woman, what else could she have expected? But still, his words hurt. He had been so nice to her in the beginning, and she knew now that it was all a lie. It really hurt. But then, did she really have the right to judge him? After all, she too was lying. She knew had it not been for the magic violin, there would be no way she could participate in this competition. It was all a lie, just like Yunoki's secret.

She could feel tears in her eyes, and she turned away so he couldn't see her. Now she really wanted to run, and she was seriously considering it. She didn't want him to know she was upset, because knowing him, he would just twist the knife deeper into the wound. But before she realized it, she had let out an audible sob, and her emotions were clearly evident.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a surprised look on Yunoki's face as he impulsively turned to her. He quickly looked away.

She couldn't take it anymore. There was no way she could benefit from staying here any longer. She suddenly turned around and ran back inside, through the hall and out the front door. He didn't chase after her, he didn't even speak.

Once she was finally outside his property, she leaned forward, panting and sobbing. That was it; she couldn't spend time alone with him ever again. She couldn't allow his other personality to surface again… she just couldn't take it. In a few months, he would graduate and move to America as promised and she would never have to see him again.

Suddenly, the silence was broken, and she heard a soft, melodic sound coming from behind her. It was Yunoki. It had to be. She turned around and stared back at his house, but he was clearly still in his backyard. She had never heard the song he was playing; she had never heard him play anything like that for that matter. Unlike his usual upbeat and confident music, this song was slow and meaningful; it almost sounded sad. It was twice tonight that he had, possibly unknowingly, expressed his emotions. What was he feeling right now? It couldn't possibly be regret from what he had said to her… could it?

For a while there, she thought he actually might talk to her. When she had brought up the topic of his grandmother, he seemed almost desperate to speak about it; like he wanted to share it. Then it was like he realized he shouldn't. But for a moment there, it felt like the real him. Even if she had never seen it before, something about that version of him told her it was real.

The conclusion she came to was that neither side of Yunoki that she had seen so far was the real him. The real Yunoki was buried somewhere below what she had seen. He had been taught not to expose himself, and this was the sad result.

* * *

**So I did plan on writing another chapter for this story, but I guess I'll see what you guys think. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Kaho, get up! You're going to be late for school!"

The girl flipped over in her bed, planting her face into her pillow to block out the light pouring in through her window. She'd been tossing and turning in her bed all night, pondering her conversation with Yunoki. The last time she remembered looking it the clock, it had read 5:24, glancing up at the clock now she found that it had only been an hour and a half. 7:00am had rolled around much quicker than she had hoped. Now on top of going to school, dreading having to see Yunoki, she would have to drag herself through the day, hardly able to stay awake.

"Kaho! Now!" Her mother banged on her door before pulling it open and allowing a flood of light through her door. As if that wasn't bad enough, she flipped on her light and pulled the blankets off her. "You slept in your clothes again? How many times do I have to tell you to wear pajamas! And where did you get those clothes?! They look expensive."

She could barely comprehend her mother's first statement before several more were thrown at her. Rather than attempting to reply, she pulled herself into a half sitting position and rubbed her eyes to convince her mother that she was indeed waking up.

"Hurry up; I'm making you and your father breakfast. It will be ready in five minutes."

"K Mom," she muttered almost incoherently. As soon as her mother had left the room, she crawled back into her bed and pulled the covers over her head once again. Maybe she could write today off as a sick day. It wasn't completely untrue after all.

"Kaho!"

"I'm up," she said as loudly as she could before her mother lost it. Eyes completely closed, she stood up from her bed, picked up her bath robe and followed her mother out of the room.

After she had forced down a meal of eggs, toast and hash browns, she showered and hurried out the door. Even though she was running twenty minutes late, she was in no rush to get to school. Math was her first block and that meant having to pay attention. Perhaps she could walk slowly enough to school to miss first block; then she could sleep through history and be fresh for free period to practice. Satisfied with her plan, she walked lazily in the direction of her school; stopping often to glance into shop windows and anything else she could find to distract herself and kill time.

All she could think about was how awkward it would be when she saw Yunoki. The worst would be if she was caught alone with him. Things were bad enough after the first day he had shown his true colors, but at least at that point nothing had been said regarding _why_ he was like that. She had dug deep enough to a point where there was no way out now. There was no way to just go back and act like nothing ever happened.

_It's going to be ok_, she told herself. _I'll go to class, practice during free period, practice during lunch, and then leave right away after school gets out. I can say I have a dentist appointment or something._ She let out a deep sigh; it was going to be ok. She could completely avoid him all day, and then think about what she was actually going to do about it later when she was a little more awake. _Just enjoy your walk to school,_ she told herself.

Just as she was starting to relax, she failed to notice a car slow beside her. It wasn't until she heard the unnaturally soft voice call her name did she actually realize what was happening.

"Hino-san," the voice said.

"Huh?" She looked around. Yunoki was calling to her from the back seat of his car, his usual gentle smile gracing his elegant features. His hair was tied back neatly into a high ponytail, and he looked at her with welcoming eyes.

"Would you like a ride?" He asked pleasantly.

Her face grew red, "um, no thanks, I'm fine with walking," she said without even thinking.

"But you're still twenty five minutes from school, you'll be late. The bell is going to ring any minute."

"That's fine," she said, looking down to avoid making eye contact. She continued walking.

"Hino-san? What's wrong?" He asked, "Stop the car please," he said to his driver. He opened his door and moved over to the far seat. "Come on, get in."

She was looking at him now, and she knew there was no way out of this. With a subtle sigh, she complied. Shutting the door behind her, she pulled the seat belt across her chest and snapped the buckle shut. She could feel her body heating up and she knew her face was still bright red.

"How was the rest of your night last night?" He asked a little too kindly. It was almost as if he was mocking her.

"It was fine," she said bitterly. "And yours?"

"Pleasant thank you," he said. He was back to his usual fake self.

She thought about it, and the ride was at the most, six or seven minutes. She wasn't sure if she could stand the superficial conversation for that long. Then again, what was there to say? She had run out without a word last night. She wasn't about to speak on a normal level with him again until he apologized. What else could she say? She was sick and tired of him being nasty. However, it _was_ nice of him to offer her a ride. She doubted however, that it was purely out of the goodness of his heart.

"You look tired," he commented.

"Do I?" She asked. Again, she felt as though he was mocking her. She chose not to mention that she hadn't slept well, and she didn't dream of telling him it was because of him that she hadn't. For some reason she thought it might give him some kind of sick satisfaction knowing that he got to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked sincerely. Or rather, with an obvious fake sense of sincerity.

"I'm fine," she said, each of her words indicating that she didn't want to hear anymore.

"Hino, are you upset with me for what happened last night?" He asks, his tone growing slightly more serious.

She finally turned to face him, but quickly broke eye contact. "Are you saying that I should be?" She asked quietly.

"I don't think you should be at all. But I can't think of another reason that you're acting so strange. Unless you had another visitor last night," he teased.

"Wh- Of course I didn-" She was shocked, appalled by his statement. Another visitor? What was he implying? She could feel her pulse begin to race and her face turn red. This was the last straw. She couldn't handle this anymore. She didn't owe it to him to put up with it. Sure, at first she might have had some interest in him, but now, there was nothing. Any feelings she may have had for him had been ruthlessly chased away by the new and unfortunate side of him.

Yunoki smiled and chuckled to himself. "Ah Hino-chan, you never fail to amuse me," he laughed arrogantly.

And she was done. She looked him straight in the eye, "Yunoki-senpai you are a mean and arrogant person and I'm tired of this. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. I don't want you to talk to me or associate with me in any way until you grow up and learn that other people's feelings are not playthings!" she said firmly.

Her timing could not have been more perfect; the car pulled up and stopped in front of the school. She opened the door and climbed out. "Thank you for the ride," she said to the driver before slamming the door harder than necessary, leaving Yunoki with a blank and shocked expression on his face. What was even more perfect was that his 'fan club' of girls who were awaiting his arrival were all standing there watching. Once she had passed them she grinned to herself, held her head high and continued on into the school. _Weasel your way out of this one,_ she thought to herself. There was no way he could keep his sparkling image after all those girls saw her storm out of his car.

"Kaho chan? What's up? You look like you just won an academy award or something." Her friend, Mio, commented as she sat down in her seat, the smug look still radiating from her proud features.

"Not quite," she replied, not even intending to tell the story. No one would understand anyway. Yunoki's image was too strong. True, her mild tantrum coming out of his car would cause a ruckus for him, but the pristine, luminous Yunoki would live on. All that mattered at this point was that she knew she had burned him – and it felt great!

"Ok students, we finished off last class with the quadratic formula, please open your textbooks to page 97," her teacher said boringly as she entered the room, silencing her class. _Crap! _Hino thought to herself, _I knew I forgot something!_ Her oversized smile faded slightly as she remembered that she had intended to skip this class a) because she hated it, and b)because she hadn't completed her homework.

"So who can tell me the answer to the first question on the homework assignment?" The teacher asked, glaring across the classroom as though examining for potential victims.

_Relax,_ she thought to herself, _there are 26 people in this room, what are the chances of actually being picked on?_

"Hino san?"

_Darn it! What are the chances!_

"Um, I'm sorry, You see, I was really busy last night with – er – practicing the violin! The third selection is only – " Her teacher cut her off.

"Just because you're taking part in the competition doesn't mean you will be excused from your regular responsibilities. Surely you knew that when you signed up."

What did she know? And even if she _had_ been busy practicing and her excuse was viable, she had never entered the competition, she was selected randomly. She made a mental note to say something to Lili about this. It was like her teacher could sense that she didn't want to answer the question. Did teachers develop a sixth sense while at teacher school? An evil sense?

"You will come to my office during the lunch hour and complete your homework," the teacher said firmly.

"But the third selec –" She was cut off for the second time.

"No excuses Hino san"

* * *

And so there she was, spending her valuable practice time completing her homework in the teacher's office. Her day had started out terrible, had spiked when she told Yunoki off, and now had dropped back down to horrible. Her overwhelming sense of pride which had provided her happiness had evaporated, and all she could think about now the horrible night she had endured last night. She also knew that Yunoki wouldn't stay away forever. What would he come up with next? She had burned him, and although she may have been the only one who knew it, he had way too much pride to let her just get away with it. But he wasn't the type of boy that would simply make her look bad in front of others as she had done to him. No, he was much too cleaver and conniving for that.

Barely succeeding at pushing it out of her mind temporarily, she managed to struggle through her math problems at a decent pace; one quick enough to have at least a few minutes to scarf down a sandwich before her next class anyway. She knew the answers were probably wrong, but at the moment she didn't care; she just wanted to get out of there. Then again, her teacher's office was one place that Yunoki wouldn't be able to find her.

Finally, her teacher let her go for the last five minutes of the lunch period. She bolted to the cafeteria just in time to get a grilled cheese sandwich before it closed. She sat down at a table alone and ate as quickly as possible. Although this meal seemed just as quick as her last one, it was a little more enjoyable. At least she was semi awake now.

"Hino chan?" A voice called from behind her.

_Oh crap!_

She hesitantly turned around, and much to her relief, it was not Yunoki. "Hihara senpai! Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"I just finished. I just came down to grab a drink from the vending machines. Lunch is almost over, how come you're just eating now?" He asked, sitting down beside her.

"I had a lunch detention. Didn't do my homework last night," she said casually. He knew why.

"That doesn't sound fun!" He commented. "Hey, the weather is super nice today; do you wanna go down to the beach after school?" He asked excitedly.

She wasn't sure; she did want to, but she knew she'd better get her homework done today. But she had had a rough day, maybe a relaxing afternoon down at the beach was exactly what she needed. "Ok, sounds like fun. I'll meet you at the statue after school then?"

"Ok! I'll see you later then," he said, getting up and heading back in the direction of the music department.

Her day dragged on and on, and by the time the final bell rang she was ready to go home and climb into bed. Not to say that she wasn't looking forward to her trip to the beach, but she was just so tired. She found herself leaning on the school's statue almost dozing off when she heard Hihara's voice.

"Hino chan! Ready to hit the beach?!" He called from across the courtyard.

"Hihara senpai!" She waved enthusiastically. His paced picked up into a jog and he was beside her within seconds.

"Thanks for inviting me," she commented.

"Hey you two," she heard a voice behind her. She knew the voice this time.

"Yunoki!" Hihara said before she even turned around.

_Crap…_ she thought to herself.

"Hello Hino san," he said politely, evidently back to his original self. "What are you guys up to?"

"We're going to the beach, do you wanna come?" Hihara asked, instantly shattering Hino's mood.

He looked from Hihara to Hino, "Only if it's alright with you, Hino san," he smiled politely at her.

_What a jerk, he knows that I can't say no, but he also knows I don't want him there,_ she thought to herself. "Yeah it's ok," she said, forcing a smile. All of a sudden she really didn't want to go. She just wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

"Yes!" Hihara said loudly, pumping his fist into the air. "Let's go!"

"We can take my car?" Yunoki suggested.

"Really?!" Hihara asked, "That would be awesome! I love the Yunoki-mobile!"

Reluctantly, Hino followed Yunoki and Hihara into the very car that she had stormed out of earlier that day. She tried to hide her face as the same group of girls that was crowded around the car earlier was there once again, watching her get back into that car.

"So Yunoki, have you decided what you're going to play for the third selection?" Hihara asked, creating conversation.

Hino began to zone out, and didn't hear anything said past that.

How was she going to deal with this? There had to be a way to beat Yunoki. Yes, he was likely going to try to put her in situations that made her uncomfortable for his own amusement, but he wouldn't directly say or do anything to her with Hihara present. She had to outwit him. She stared out the window, glancing at the few clouds hovering about them in an otherwise completely flawless blue sky.

_That's it,_ she thought, _I just have to go along with everything he says or does! _ She just needed to play into his games, that way he wouldn't be able to watch her squirm. He couldn't do too much harm with Hihara around, so she wasn't really putting herself in any danger. And better yet, if the opportunity came up, she wouldn't hesitate to be overly friendly with Hihara. This way, she was playing the game with _him_. It was her that would get to watch for a reaction from him.

She grinned to herself, and adjusted herself in the car seat into a more confident position. Shoulders back, chin up, hands in the lap; it was perfect.

"Hino san, are you coming?"

Hino looked up; she was sitting alone in the car in her new 'confident' manner, only to realize that the car had stopped and the other two had already gotten out and were waiting for her. Her cheeks blushed and she dropped a hand behind her head.

"Uh yeah, sorry. I zoned out." She said, trying to force the redness from her face as she climbed out of the car.

"You ok, Hino chan?" Hihara asked as he shut the car door behind her.

"What? Yeah. I'm just really tired," she said, not lying entirely. She lightly slapped herself in the face a few times before proclaiming, "I'm awake!" And grinning at Hihara.

"You're too cute, Hino chan," Hihara said to her, obviously trying to sound funny, but his cheeks blushed slightly.

"So what do you two normally do when you come down here?" Yunoki asked, glancing around the area. Ahead of them was the beach contained by a rock wall, behind them was the semi-busy road lined with several shops facing out towards the ocean. The water stretched out for miles, and only ended with the horizon.

"We don't usua –" Hihara began.

"We usually just get something to eat and sit by the water," Hino interrupted. The truth was, as Hihara had tried to say, that the two of them had never come down here together before. But right now, she wanted Yunoki to believe differently.

Yunoki shot Hihara a questioning glance, as though he was waiting for him to disagree.

"Yeah, we usually… pick up sandwiches from the little café on the corner there," he said eagerly, pointing to the tiny shop on the end of the street. As Yunoki glanced at the café, Hihara gave Hino a quick quizzical glance. She innocently grinned back at him, hoping that he would continue to play along.

Yunoki looked back at Hihara for a moment, examining him as if to see if he would crack. Thankfully, Hihara wasn't a bad actor. "Ok then, shall we get some sandwiches?" Yunoki asked, seemingly satisfied.

"Yeah, let's go!" Hihara says loudly, but clearly still a little confused.

They wandered over to the little café on the corner. Meanwhile, Hino was hoping to God that they actually _had_ sandwiches there. She had never even been in this café before. She began to panic a little bit. The closer they got, the smaller the café looked. She looked around, hoping for something to avert their attention; a cute dog, a car accident, an explosion, ANYTHING… ice cream?

"Guys wait!" She shouted loudly, stopping in her tracks. "Let's get ice cream instead!" She could feel her face flush; Yunoki would have to be completely blind to not realize that something was off.

"Are you sure? Aren't you hungry, Hino san?" Yunoki asked.

"Ice cream sounds great!" Hihara said, making eye contact with Hino.

Hino quickly averted her glance and started towards the ice cream parlor. She HAD to try to act more natural if this was going to work. _Just relax and try to have fun,_ she told herself.

"Hello there dear, what can I get for you?" The woman behind the counter asked Hino as she approached.

"Um, can I get a single scoop of chocolate chip mint please?" She asked, her eyes flying over the seemingly hundreds of different flavors.

"Yes of course dear, in a cup or cone?"

"A cone please," she replied as the woman begun digging in the green tub of ice cream.

"And for you?" She asked Hihara.

"I'm not sure yet, ask Yunoki first. He only ever gets Vanilla though," Hihara replied, his eyes not leaving the various flavors for even a second.

"Really Yunoki Senpai? Only Vanilla? But there are so many different flavors to choose from!" Hino insisted.

"Just a single scoop of Vanilla in a cup please," he said, not responding to Hino's protests.

"Of course," she said, moving to the very end of the freezer to get to the completely untouched vanilla ice cream.

"And have you decided yet?" She asked, placing Yunoki's cup next to the cone on top of the counter.

"Um, I think so," Hihara said, his eyes darting up and down once more. "I can mix flavors with multiple scoops, right?" He asked her.

"Yes," she said.

"Ok, I'm going to get…. In a cone…. A scoop of bubble gum," he moved down the counter again, "a scoop of cookies 'n cream, aaaaaaaaaand….. a scoop of pineapple coconut."

Hino and Yunoki just stared at him in disbelief. Even the woman behind the counter glanced at him momentarily after adding the first scoop to the cone.

"Hihara senpai, that's probably the worst combination of ice cream possible!" Hino said.

"Nooooo, you'll see. It's going to be great!" He insisted.

They paid for their ice cream, and slowly began walking towards the beach.

"How is it, Hihara?" Yunoki asked, watching him closely as he took his first couple of bites.

Hihara took a second to swallow it, his eyes shifting, clearly thinking about how it tasted. He stared at the cone for a second before bellowing, "It's Great!!" across the beach.

"Wow, that's pretty incredible," Hino commented.

"Yeah, do you guys wanna try it?" He asked.

"No thank you," Yunoki said immediately.

"Ok," Hino said. Perhaps this would get on Yunoki's nerves; to see them sharing an ice cream cone.

"Here," he said, passing the cone to her. She stared at it for a second before tasting it.

"So?" Yunoki asked.

"It's great isn't it?!"

"It's actually not bad," Hino lied. Truth be told it was one of the more disgusting things she had tried in her life. But she didn't want to offend Hihara, and she still wanted to make Yunoki uneasy.

"See! I was right!" Hihara proclaimed as they stepped over the concrete barrier and into the white sand lining the ocean's edge.

"Hihara senpai, you've got to be the funniest person I've ever met," Hino said, walking along one of the logs and playfully wrapping her arm around neck for support.

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment!"

"Hihara senpai! How do you eat so fast?!" She asked in disbelief, noticing that he was down to his last scoop of ice cream, and she wasn't even half way through hers.

"It's too good to eat slow! Plus it'll melt!"

All this time Yunoki was simply walking quietly behind them; a less than happy look across his face.

"Hey do you guys wanna see something cool?" Hihara said, letting go of Hino and running down to the water.

Hino slowly let herself down off the log and followed him. He picked up a rock, examined it, and then threw it at an awkward sideways angle into the water.

"Did you see that?!" He yelled.

"Um, you threw a rock into the water?" Yunoki questioned, seemingly happier now that Hino wasn't holding onto Hihara anymore.

"No no, watch closer." He picked up another and threw it at the same weird angle. This time Hino saw it. The rock hit the water, jumped back up, hit the water again, and proceeded to follow the same cycle until finally it lost speed and sunk.

"It's called skipping rocks!" Hihara said, shoving the last of his ice cream cone into his mouth. "Whaannna Trrrhy?" He asked, his mouth full of food.

"Hihara, don't talk with your mouth full," Yunoki said.

Hino just laughed.

"I'll try," Yunoki said, leaning forward to pick up a rock.

"You need a flat rock," Hihara said, finally having swallowed the rest of his food.

Once Yunoki had found the rock, he squared his body awkwardly towards the water, and threw the rock at the same strange angle that Hihara had used. Sure enough, the rock skipped gracefully along the top of the water as though it were an extension of his body.

"Whoa Yunoki, you've done this before!" Hihara said.

"Nope, just beginners luck"

It was like Yunoki to be good at EVERYTHING. It was starting to annoy Hino.

"Hino chan, you try!" Hihara said, bending down to pick up a rock. "Here," he handed her the rock.

In all honesty she didn't want to try because she knew she would fail and end up looking stupid, giving Yunoki another reason to make fun of her.

"Uh, ok," she said taking the rock. She swallowed the last piece of her ice cream cone, and attempted to position her body properly. Panicking, she threw the rock which went flying straight into the water, splashing her in the face and plunging straight to the bottom to hit the sand.

She stared after it, shocked, for a moment. Hihara started laughing. "Good first try Hino chan! We can't _all_ be as good as Yunoki!"

_Damn it,_ she thought to herself.

"Would you like me to help you, Hino san?" Yunoki asked, moving towards her alarmingly quickly.

"Um, no than –"

She was interrupted at the perfect moment. Hihara moved in behind her to help position her body properly. Although he didn't express it through his facial features, she could feel Yunoki's jealousy radiating through the air.

"You have to stand like this," he said, twisting her shoulders.

"Like this?" She asked, moving closer into his grasp. She was doing everything she could to make it clear that she was enjoying this.

"Yeah. Then bend your knees, and move your hips like this. Ok, here's the rock," he said, placing it in her hand, holding her hand for a split second too long. Their eyes met, and Hihara's face grew excruciatingly red. Once she was sure that Yunoki had seen this, she pulled away and aimed the rock, throwing it into the water. This time it skipped a couple of times before sinking. This time however, no one said anything.

"I did it!" She said, hoping to break this awkward moment. "Thanks Hihara! You're a great teacher!" She clearly crossed the line and hugged him.

"Uh, good job!" Hihara said, dragging himself out of his dazed state.

"Um, I should probably be getting home soon," Hino said, "I have a lot of homework to catch up on."

"Yeah, I need to do some practicing too," Hihara said.

"Alright, let's get going then," Yunoki said, seeming a little too happy to be leaving.

They climbed into the car, and rode silently along the road. Hino felt as though she could cut the tension with a knife. Oh well, she had succeeded in putting Yunoki in an undesirable position. Maybe he would learn his lesson now.

The car pulled to a halt. Hino was ready to get out when she realized they were in front of an unfamiliar house.

"Thanks for the ride!" Hihara said, climbing out the other side of the car.

_Crap! I'm going to be alone with Yunoki?!_ She thought to herself. She forced herself to act normal, although she could feel her pulse racing through her body. _Wave,_ she told herself.

Hihara shut the car door and began to walk away. Hino continued to smile and wave at him until he was out of sight. The further away he got, the faster she felt her heart pound. She was alone with Yunoki now. She could feel him watching her.

She finally looked away, and back at Yunoki. She felt the car begin to move again.

"What the hell was that?" He asked in a stern voice.

Game over.

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**A/N:**

**So I decided to write another chapter for this... and although its been in the works since the last chapter was posted.... I really have no idea where this story is going! I have ideas, but I would love your input! Leave me a review and let me know what YOU would like to see happen!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, so this is a bit shorter than I'd hoped it to be, but due to popular demand, I'm posting the next chapter. I have no abandoned this story, and I have been working on it, its just a very difficult story for me to write. However, I think I have a direction to go in now. So here it is, and I'm sorry for making you wait so long (please don't throw things at me!).**

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Hino took a deep breath. She had worked so hard not to let it get to this point. She wasn't about to let him get to her now.

"What are you talking about?" She said confidently.

"Flirting with Hihara? What was that all about?"

"Yunoki-senpai, have you ever thought that maybe it isn't all about you?" She said sounding more confident than she felt.

He said nothing.

"Maybe I like Hihara-senpai. Ever think of that?" She asked, hoping to cover the deceit in her voice.

"Is that really how it is?" He asked, still an undertone of arrogance and superiority lingered in his voice.

"Maybe it is. That is really none of your business." She looked away from him, staring out the window.

After moments of silence, Yunoki spoke. "I don't believe you."

"Well that's your problem then, isn't it?" She said without looking at him.

"You can stop here," Yunoki leaned forward and said to his driver. Then he turned to her, "I think you can walk from here, can you not?"

She looked momentarily at him, then opened the door. "Thank you for the ride," she said to the driver, climbing out of the car and closing the door behind her. She watched the car speed away into the distance.

Finally, she heaved a heavy sigh. She had survived. But how was she going to keep this up?

She hung her head and she slowly dragged herself back home. The walk wasn't long, but she was exhausted. It had been a ridiculously long day and after the night she had had last night, she just wanted to sleep. She was tired of thinking. She was tired of these games.

At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to just find a bench and sit. But at the same time, she wanted to get home. Glancing around her, she looked for a clock. Unfortunately there was none. She looked up at the sun, and calculated that it was probably between 4:30 and 5:00. She wasn't too far from her house now. She would go home for dinner and then go to bed early. The homework would have to wait. She was already behind, and the teacher had picked on her today, she couldn't pick on her two days in a row. And if that was the sacrifice for getting to sleep, then so be it.

When she finally reached home, she felt like she'd been walking for hours, although it was probably only about 15 minutes. She forced herself up to her bedroom and fell face first onto her bed, dropping her shoes and school bag beside her. The bed was still askew and her blanket on the floor from when her mother woke her up that morning. That event seemed as though it had taken place days ago.

"Kaho! Dinner's ready in ten minutes!" Her mother yelled from downstairs.

"K, mom," she said weakly, knowing all too well that her mother couldn't hear her.

Ten minutes. What could she do with ten minutes? She would hardly be able to nap, but there was no way she could stay awake unless she got up and actually did something.

Against her body's will, she pulled herself off her bed and began changing out of her uniform and into her sweat pants and long sleeved shirt. She threw her hair up into a ponytail and sat down at her desk. Looking around her desk for something to entertain herself with, she spotted a bottle of nail polish remover and began to strip the red, chipped polish off her nails. She knew she should probably be practicing, but she simply didn't have the energy.

What on earth was she going to do about Yunoki? And now she'd brought Hihara into it, she thought to herself as she began to paint her nails a dark blue color. She didn't usually have a very steady hand when it came to doing her nails, but her fatigue was making it far more difficult than usual.

She could feel her eyes closing. Yunoki's voice was now ringing in her ears, "_what the hell was that?"_ Now that she thought about it, she'd never quite heard that tone from him. Generally she was used to the fake, bubbly Yunoki, but recently she'd seen a colder, more sinister side of him. But what she had heard in the car today had been more serious. It was still cold, but it was raw and powerful, as though that was the most real version of him she'd seen yet. She wondered what else was hiding deep beneath his surface.

Regardless, she'd always disliked people who put on a mask, for whatever reason. She believed that a person should be genuine, and not try to act like someone they're not.

"KAHO!" Her mother screamed, startling her and causing her to paint down to her knuckle with blue nail polish. "DINNERS READY!"

Rather than a feeble attempt at replying, she got up, wiped as much of the blue polish off her hand as she could, and hurried down stairs before her mother yelled again.

"Kaho, you look terrible! Are you alright?" Her mother said as she entered the room.

"Long day, I just want to go to bed." She was _partially_ telling the truth, she just chose not to explain why the day had been particularly long.

"Oh, by the way, a boy called for you not too long ago," her mother said while serving rice onto a plate.

"What?" She said, her eyes now wide open. "Who?"

"Oh darn, I can't remember his name. Hun, what was that boys name? I told you not to forget it," she said to Hino's father.

"Yunoki?" Hino asked her mother, sick with apprehension. This wasn't going to be good, what could he want already? Maybe he was going to apologize? Now way, she thought to herself. He had too much pride. Maybe he would continue questioning her, tell her he didn't believe a word of it. Perhaps she just wouldn't call him back. Yeah, that would work, at least until tomorrow at school.

"No, um, Hari?" Her mother said.

"Hihara?"

"Yes, that was it. He sounded nervous. He wanted to make sure you got home alright. He wanted to you call him back."

"I will after dinner," she replied, her mind lost in thought. What could Hihara have wanted?

As her mother placed a plate of food in front of her, she quickly realized how little of an appetite she really had. She had thought she felt hungry, but apparently her stomach had deceived her. She knew however, that her mother wouldn't let her leave the table just like that. She would a) force her to eat, and b) force her to explain why she didn't want to eat. So rather than battling through that, she forced some rice and marinated vegetables down and then excused herself as quickly as possible without seeming too suspicious. She really wasn't in the mood to explain anything to anyone.

After finishing her meal, she picked up the phone and hurried upstairs. Flipping through the caller ID menu, she found Hihara's phone number and pushed dial as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She could feel her heart beat quicken as the phone rang. She asked herself why, but she had no idea.

"Hello," a woman answered.

"Hi there, may I speak with Hihara Kazuki-kun please," she said, hearing the nervousness in her voice.

"One minute."

"Hello?" Hihara's voice rang through the receiver.

"Hi Hihara-senpai, its Kaho.

"Hino-chan! Did you get home alright?"

"Um, yes, Yunoki-senpai drove me," she replied, choosing to leave out the part where he dropped her off on the side of the road.

"Oh, well when I called you weren't home yet, did you guys go straight home?" He asked questioningly.

Was he checking up on her? Did he think they'd spend more time together? What was going on?

"Oh, no I had to walk down to the market after he dropped me off," she lied. She had never been a good liar, and she only hoped he couldn't hear the deception in her voice.

"Oh, ok. Um Hino-chan, is there something going on between you and Yunoki?" He asked her, the carefree, childlike innocence in his voice disappearing. She noted that she was tired of seeing more serious sides to her friends, she'd rather everyone stop changing on her.

"W-what? Of course not!" She said, sounding a little too unbelievable.

"Well then," he began, not sounding entirely convinced, but continuing nonetheless, "Do you think we could hang out again after school one day this week? Maybe just the two of us?"

She would have noticed the anxiety in his voice, had she not been entirely shocked by his question. Thankful he couldn't see her, she felt her face flush and her heart pound.

"W-w-what?" She stammered, hurrying to correct herself. "Do you mean like – "

"Like a date, maybe?" He asked, sounding so hopeful. He sounded like he might start begging if she declined.

She had never stopped to consider that this might happen. She had played it up like she liked him, and now not only did Yunoki not believe it, but Hihara did! Oh no! She had made such a mess of things! But maybe, just maybe, this might work? Would it convince Yunoki? True, she had never really thought of Hihara in that way, but she thought he was a great person, and he _was _attractive. Maybe she should give this a chance. It might clear her mind of Yunoki. This could actually work.

"Hino-chan?" He asked.

Hino quickly realized she'd gone silent. "Yes, sure! That sounds like fun!" She replied enthusiastically. And it did sound genuine. Was it genuine? She had no idea.

"Really?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes! How about tomorrow after class? We could maybe take our instruments too?" She suggested.

"Ok! YAY! …I mean, I'll see you tomorrow then, Hino-chan!"

"See you," she said, hanging up the phone.

Her head was really spinning now. What had she just agreed to? Was this right? Did she actually like him? Or was she just using him to get at Yunoki, or get rid of Yunoki for that matter? She had no idea. Perhaps she should have thought this through more, at a time that she wasn't utterly exhausted. Oh well, she had dug her grave, now it was time to lie in it.

She stood up and closed the blinds in her bedroom. Putting on her pajamas, she climbed into bed and decided she'd done enough thinking for one day. She turned off her lamp and somehow, she convinced herself that everything would work out.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! Again I'm SO sorry for making you wait so long. I will try to post the next chapter in a more timely manner. Thank you for your reviews, they are the energy that fuels this story! So please keep it up and let me know what you thought! And if there's something you'd like to see happen, TELL ME! I'd love to hear your ideas for this story. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Sorry this took so long! I promise I have actually been working on this for some time now, and hopefully the effort shows! **

**I would just like to apologize for any inconsistency in the naming of characters. As this story hasn't been my sole focus over the last several months, I have a hard time keeping track of first/last names used as well as honorifics. **

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Hino woke up the next morning feeling more rested than she had the previous morning. That was, until everything began to come back to her. The thoughts of yesterday plagued her mind like the recap of a bad television show. She had gone out with Yunoki and Hihara and ended up convincing Yunoki that she liked Hihara. The trouble was, she had convinced Hihara of that as well. Now all that was left was convincing herself! Easier said than done though. But on the other hand, it was possible that she had feelings for him. She sat up and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts overwhelming her mind. She had changed her mind, physically, yes, she was well rested; mentally, not at all.

She dragged herself down the stairs and to the table where her mother had prepared breakfast.

"Kaho, you look terrible," her mother said upon seeing her.

"Wha?" She said, completely dazed, "oh, yeah I didn't sleep well," she lied.

The truth was, she had slept fine. But for some reason her brain had never shut off and it was bitterly exhausted now. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive school today – and her classes were the least of her worries. She was more concerned with encountering Yunoki and having to come up with something to say to him. Playing his mind games took so much out of her. She wasn't ready for it today, but she couldn't just let him win. She was tired of being treated like garbage by him. He tore her down to the bare bone, making her feel so upset with herself. He was a bully; he got his satisfaction by making others feel small.

"Ok well, if you need anything, let me know." Her mother said.

"Thanks mom."

Then it hit her.

"Wait! Mom!"

"What is it?"

"Do you think you could drive me to school today? I have some work I need to catch up on before class," she lied. The truth was she didn't want to come across Yunoki on the way to school today. She wasn't sure that he'd stop and force her into the car after last night, but it was still a chance she wasn't too keen on risking this morning. But then she would have to worry about getting home too.

_One step at a time,_ she told herself.

"Alright, but let's go in fifteen minutes. I need to go to the bank before it gets busy."

"Thanks mom."

She quickly finished up her breakfast and then hurried up to her room to get ready for school.

On the drive to school, Hino remained silent. She was wondering if Hihara would tell Yunoki that they had an official date planned together. They were after all, close friends; but she wondered if Hihara knew the real side of Yunoki. She also wondered if Hihara could tell there was something between Yunoki and her. Then she physically shook her head.

_There is nothing there!_ She told herself boldly.

"Are you ok? You're acting kind of strange today," her mother said.

"What? Yeah I'm fine. I have a presentation this morning. I'm just practicing." She lied, once again. She didn't normally like to lie, but today it was necessary to get through the morning without coming off as a complete lunatic to her mother.

She managed to keep from talking to herself throughout the rest of the drive to school, but that didn't stop her mind from running rampant.

Her mother dropped her off at the back of the school, hugged her good bye and wished her luck on her made up project. Kaho let out a sigh of relief as her mother drove away, and began walking towards the building.

She found it extremely revitalizing to be on the general education side of campus. Normally when she walked to school, she took a short cut through the music side. That combined with the amount of time she'd spent practicing and such; needless to say she wasn't devastated to avoid it this morning.

As expected since she wasn't waking to school, the weather was quite pleasing. The air was cool and crisp, but the sun was rising high into the sky and she felt a positive energy radiating through the air with the sun's rays.

Just as she decided that she would go inside and catch up on the math homework she hadn't done (again) she noticed people running around on the field. It was way too early for a PE class. She had a hunch, so she decided to wander over and find out for herself.

Sure enough, as she approached she recognized Tsuchiura amongst the rest of the school's senior soccer team. She quickly decided that it was far too nice out to go inside to study, so she found what looked like a nice patch of grass just off to the side of the soccer field and spread her jacket out. Tsuchiura spotted her, and she waved and smiled at him. She pulled out her textbook and began reading the chapter she had paid so little attention to yesterday.

She could honestly say it was the first time in days that her head had felt clear. Whether it was the weather or just the relaxed setting in general, she wasn't sure. Either way, she was beginning to feel like herself again. For some reason she just felt that everything would work itself out.

It wasn't long before she had lulled herself into a dreamy state. She was laying on her jacket staring at her textbook, though not paying attention to it at all, just feeling happy when all of a sudden she heard a loud cry. She looked up to see a group of players crowded around the presumably injured player in the middle of the field. She looked around for Tsuchiura and having not found him, her maternal gene that all females possess instinctively kicked into play. She found herself instantly on her feet.

She quickly realized it was indeed Tsuchiura, but they had up back on his feet in no time. Tsuchiura however didn't look all that steady, and another player helped him hobble over to where she stood.

"Tsuchiura kun!" She cried, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, just twisted my ankle," he said through gritted teeth.

She helped him sit down next on her jacket.

"Iwasaki kun has gone to get ice," said the boy who had helped him off the field.

"What happened?" She asked quickly as she began loosening his soccer cleat.

"Uhh, I'm not sure," he said. The pain had vanished from his face, and he now looked simply surprised.

"Here you go." The boy handed Hino an ice pack and she applied it to his injured ankle.

"Don't take your shoe off yet, it will swell up like a balloon," she said.

"Uh, sure," he said, still sounding surprised.

"Don't look so shocked," she smiled, "you've bailed me out numerous times."

"Right… well thanks."

She leaned back and sighed, knowing she had done all she could.

"So, are you ready for the next selection?" He asked her.

"What? Um…" she began. He was honestly the only person she really felt comfortable talking about the competition with. Even though he was much more talented, not to mention authentic, than she was, he was still a gen ed student, so she didn't feel as much pressure to live up while around him. "No, I'm not really ready. What about you?"

"No. I still haven't even picked a piece yet. But don't tell those lunatics from the musical department please, I get enough grief from them as it is," he said with his head down.

"That's not very nice! They aren't all bad."

"Fun, just Tsukimori kun."

Hino laughed to herself. "Oh well. You're so talented, you don't need to worry as much. I think Tsukimori kun is just a little threatened by you."

"I hope so. He was my deciding factor when I agreed to participate."

"What?"

"Never mind," he said. "So, there are rumors floating around about you and Yunoki senpai. Are they true?"

"WHAAA?" She almost screamed.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Are you serious?" She cried.

"Well, it's probably just because his fan club saw you getting in and out of his car a couple of times. I wouldn't worry about it," he said, now adjusting the ice pack on his ankle.

But she was horrified. That was exactly what Yunoki would want. Anything to bother her or make her feel uncomfortable… But it wouldn't be long until there were new rumors afloat. She sighed to herself; why did she have to be the center of attention just because she was a gen ed student entering the musical world? This was not what she had signed up for when agreeing to participate. She silently cursed Lili. She wished things could go back to normal.

"Well, you know… if you ever need to talk," Tsuchiura kun said awkwardly, "I'm on your side."

"Huh?" She looked up at him.

"We gen ed students have to stick together," he smiled kindly.

She smiled back, "thanks Tsuchiura kun."

"Kaho chan!" Someone called.

The girl whirled around, fearing the worst. But she quickly calmed down; Yunoki wouldn't yell like that. It could only be…

"Hihara senpai! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I usually cross this side of campus in the morning – Tsuchiura kun! What happened?" He yelled, sounding concerned.

Hino liked that about him – he was very genuine. There was always a tone of surprise in his voice; in a way he was not well composed. But she liked it. In comparison to Yunoki, who was always one step ahead of the game, and while he seemed calm and collected all the time, he was generally secretly plotting something. There was always an element of deception with him.

"I twisted my ankle, but I'm alright," he insisted.

"You should go see the nurse!" Hihara said.

"No, I'm fine."

"He's right, Tsuchiura kun, you should," Hino agreed.

"The first bell is going to go soon. We can help you to the nurses office, come on, get up," Hihara said.

"Fine, fine," Tsuchiura said, admitting defeat.

While Hihara helped him limp into the school, Hino carried his things. They dropped him off at the nurse's office just as the warning bell rang. While Hino didn't feel any particular repulsion towards Hihara at present moment, she was rather relieved to not have to speak with him one on one. She wasn't mentally prepared just yet. This way she wouldn't have to meet up with him until the end of school.

"Darn there's the bell," he said. "I'll meet you out front after class ok? Have a good day Kaho chan!"

"Bye!" She called.

As she headed for her first class, she smiled to herself. Being around him in the absence of Yunoki was refreshing.

Hino had a difficult time focusing on class that day. Her mind kept wandering between dreading Yunoki and worrying about her 'date' with Hihara after school. But it wasn't the typical kind of worry, it was the worry of whether or not she had made the right decision in agreeing to go out with him. She still wasn't even sure that she liked him in that way. What if he expected her to be his girlfriend right away? What would happen between Hihara and Yunoki? They had been friends since they started high school, and she was aware that Yunoki had some kind of interest in her, although she was convinced he simply liked to tease her.

The day flew by far too quickly for her liking, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the school waiting for Hihara.

"Kaho chan!" Hihara yelled across the courtyard, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm sorry I'm late! I had to meet with one of my professors!"

"Uh that's alright," she said, forcing a smile. She wasn't angry or upset, she was just nervous.

"Yunoki wanted to come with us again, but I told him it was a date and he was not invited," Hihara said happily.

Hino had no idea what to say. She was glad that Yunoki would not be joining them, but nervous for her next encounter with him. She made a mental note to come to school early every day for as long as she had to in order to avoid him.

"So I thought we could walk down to the park and play some music. There are always lots of kids and elderly people, and they love it! And then we can go to that little restaurant on the beach right near there. Does that sound alright?"

She stood there, shocked. She wasn't expecting him to have it all planned out. She had never seen this side of Hihara. He was always so spontaneous and childish. It didn't really surprise her that he had a mature side, he was older after all, but she wasn't expecting it to just jump out at her like that.

"Kaho chan?"

"What? That sounds great! But performing in front of other people?"

"Come on you've already done the first two selections! Practice never hurts!"

"Fine, but you owe me dinner for this," she laughed, elbowing him playfully in the side as she walked by him.

She saw him blush out of the corner of his eye.

"Deal!" He said, running up beside her.

As the two walk away from the school, Hino had an odd feeling that someone was watching her.

The pair walked down to the park, chatting and laughing all the way. Hino was surprised at how un-awkward it was. She had expected some kind of tension, but Hihara was just so easy to talk to. She wasn't nervous and she didn't feel that she had to worry about making a fool of herself. Best of all, she didn't have to constantly have her guard up. Everything he said felt genuine and pure. It was a rather nice change.

As promised, the park was filled with small children playing in the playground area, and there were several elderly folks wandering the park.

"I come here often, actually," Hihara said.

"Really? Alone?"

"Yep, I find it relaxing. Just to be able to play without being judged. And the people seem to really appreciate it," he said. "Come on we can put our stuff down here."

She followed him to a bench just in front of a beautiful fountain. It was small, but it held a peaceful aura, and it helped Hino feel at ease. She put her stuff down at pulled out her violin. She waited as Hihara assembled his trumpet.

"You pick the piece," Hihara said, "I'll play along."

"Um, ok," she said. Truthfully, she hadn't played that many songs on her own. She decided to go for one she knew she wouldn't mess up. She picked the song she had played in the last selection.

As she began to create the beautiful sound, she became so enthralled in it that she forgot that she was even playing. Hihara came in with his trumpet and played a wonderful harmony. The sound was breathtaking, and she felt her eyes close and her mind drift with the music.

When Hino finally opened her eyes, there was a small group of people crowded around. She automatically became nervous, and cringed as one of her strings squeaked.

She started to panic, but Hihara quickly elbowed her gently in the arm, smiled at her, and began to take the lead. Focusing on what she was playing, she slowly eased back into the song. Hihara continued lead, and thanks to the magic violin, she was able to follow along with everything he chose. And for once, she didn't feel guilty because of it. She was happy that she was able to create wonderful music for these people. And the music was simply enchanting. It warmed her heart.

"Phew, I'm tired," Hihara said as his latest song came to a finish. "Are you ready to go get dinner?" He asked.

"Oh, sure," she said, slightly upset that they weren't going to play any longer.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked.

"Yes actually, I didn't want to stop!" she said as she put her violin back in the case.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we can stay if you'd like?"

"No, that's fine. Just promise we'll come back and do it again soon," she smiled.

"Definitely! I love playing music with you!" He replied, his face instantly blushing. This time, Hino felt her cheeks flush as well.

Instantly, her heart rate quickened. What was this feeling? She felt as though she had butterflies in her stomach – almost as if she was nervous. But it wasn't the same kind of nervous as before a performance. No; this was a whole new feeling.

"Are you ready to go eat?" Hihara asked

"What?" She asked, noticing that she was staring at her violin case nearly dumbfounded.

"Uhhh we were gonna go to that restaurant?" Hihara said, a little confused.

"Oh right, right. Sorry," she said, slightly embarrassed.

As they walked down to the restaurant, Hino managed to calm her nerves a little. She reminded herself that it was the same old Hihara, and she need not be nervous about what he might think of her. As they sat down to eat, they resumed a normal conversation.

"When did you start playing the violin? I've heard rumors that it was only recently," Hihara asked.

"Is that why you asked me here? So you could learn all my deep dark secrets?" Hino laughed.

"Wha – no!" He quickly.

"I'm only joking," she laughed. But then she quickly began to panic. The reason rumors circulated was because she had given so many different answers to this question.

"Well, the truth is, I only started just before the concours started. I'm not sure why I was selected, but it wasn't really my choice."

"So it's true then. Well I'm glad they picked you. I love hearing you play."

She was a little surprised by his answer. Usually people tended to fuss over the fact that she had just started, and the instantly became offended as if they were jealous. This made her feel terrible, since in her mind she was really just a fraud. It bothered her that people envied something that wasn't real. But Hihara seemed to simply pass it up, and focus on her actual playing. While the musical skill was due to the magical violin, the passion was her own, and it meant a lot to her that Hihara enjoyed that.

"What about you, Hihara?"

"I started when I was a little kid. I was more into sports when I was younger, but when I first heard the trumpet I knew I had to play."

"Oh really, that must have been difficult; balancing both I mean. I don't know how Tsuchiura kun does it."

"Well, I tried for a while, but my track team didn't like it. Eventually I decided to give up track and field and focused solely on music."

"Really?"

But she scarcely heard his next words. She saw a flash of purple, and turned to see Yunoki enter the restaurant followed by a second year music student. He looked directly at her. No words needed to be said. It was payback. She stared at his devilish grin which immediately melted into his soft, not to mention phony smile.

"Yunoki!" Hihara called.

He simply waved back, and led the girl to a table across the restaurant. He seated himself so that the girls back was to Hino, but he was looking directly at her. Hihara's back turned to Yunoki.

"I wonder who that is; I've never seen her before," Hihara said, only confirming Hino's theory that he was trying to get under her skin. Unfortunately for her, it was working.

"Kaho chan?" Hihara said.

She quickly looked back at him. "Sorry?" She hadn't heard him at all.

"I asked how you became interested in the violin," he said, slightly puzzled.

"Uhhh," she studdered. This was bad. She couldn't focus. She had no idea what to say. Yunoki had completely distracted her. As her eyes scanned the room, she saw Yunoki grinning undoubtedly at her distress. "Excuse me, I need to go to the washroom," she said, standing up and hurrying for the ladies room, doing her best to ignore Yunoki's stare.

Quickly closing the door behind her and checking to ensure the room was entirely empty, she leaned against the wall and released a huge sigh. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, attempting to clear her head a bit.

She had been having a fabulous time with Hihara, enjoying his company, laughing and learning about his life until Yunoki showed up. She decided she had to force him from her mind. She walked up to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She then wracked her brain for the question that Hihara had asked her. What was it…? Something to do with the violin. Right! How had she become interested?

She needed an answer to that question. She was tired of lying, but she couldn't very well say that a magical ferry had approached her and guilt tripped her into taking a magic violin. She needed something classy that wasn't too far from the truth. It took her a couple of minutes, but she decided on a satisfactory answer.

Finally, she gathered her confidence, exited the washroom and walked straight past Yunoki, head held high. She wasn't going to let him ruin this for her.

She approached the table to realize that their food had arrived, and Hihara sat there playing with his napkin, obviously waiting for her. How classy, she thought happily.

"Hey, thanks for waiting," she smiled.

Hihara watched her momentarily, looking a little concerned.

"You wanted to know how I became interested in the violin. I had a friend who was very interested in music, and she wanted to spread its joy. She showed me the violin numerous times. Then she had to move far away with her family, so I decided to take up playing it. It made her very happy when she found out," Hino smiled. It almost sounded true.

Hihara smiled at her, "That's wonderful!" Hihara smiled, seemingly much happier.

The two continued to chat all through dinner and dessert. She had adopted a leaning position where she could only stare straight at Hihara, and managed to completely ignore Yunoki. The single time she did glance at him, he seemed displeased.

His plan had failed. But this time, Hino didn't look at it as a competition. She realized how childish he was being, and she decided that it wasn't worth her time. Instead, she enjoyed a mature evening laughing and chatting with a good friend.

* * *

**Thanks for reading everyone! I'm still not entirely sure where this is going, but I do have some idea. It's kind of fun just posting as I go! Usually I plan the entire story or write a large chunk before posting... but the spontaneity is kind of interesting!**

**And on another note - not to worry, there will be plenty more Yunoki in the next chapter(s)! (Since I know thats why you're all here!)... if you want more of him, review and let me know!**

**If there's anything specific you would like to see happen in this fic, please let me know! I would love some suggestions from my readers!  
Last but not least, please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Reviews motivate me to write more frequently. When I feel that people are really enjoying and appreciating my work, I feel more inclined to write! **

**Thanks again! **


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